A FANTASTIC cast from the Norbury Youth Theatre put on a magical production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe which drew in a near-capacity crowd.

The CS Lewis classic centres around four children - Lucy, Susan, Peter and Edmond - who are evacuated to a mansion during the war and find the land of Narnia where, because it is under the spell of the White Witch, it is winter all the time, but never Christmas.

One element which made this show so great was the chemistry between the four main characters who conveyed perfectly the banter, and even sometimes, bullying, that you expect from four close siblings.

In truth, the performances of all involved were pretty faultless, but there were some exceptional portrayals.

One of those was Annie Burrows as Lucy. She conveyed well the emotional roller-coaster her character embarked on - from early on, when she was frustrated at having found this magical land and was unable to convince her brothers and sisters, to the heartbreak of discovering the supposed death of Aslan the Lion.

Another was Alice Foster, as the friendly faun Mr Tumnus. She played perfectly the character's eccentric nature and will to do what was right, despite the consequences.

But the pick of the performances was by Charlotte Smith as the White Witch. She was suitably evil in the role, with a few comedic moments along the way for the audience to enjoy. With the festive season approaching, her portrayal was fantastically pantomime baddie-esque, particularly during the song Here Comes the Cat, which was also one of the musical highlights.

One of the great moments of this show was the battle. It had dramatic and well-choreographed sword fights and you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium as the sabres clinked together.

In perfect contrast to that, the very catchy and equally euphoric The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe number at the end rounded off the show wonderfully and ensured those who went along left with the feel-good factor - some even singing the song as they exited.